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book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Digital audiobook performed by Rosni Shukla
3.5***
Ayesha Shamsi dreams of being a poet but works as a teacher to pay her debts to her uncle. Her family is loud and boisterous, and Ayehsa is constantly being reminded that her younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to collecting her target hundredth marriage proposal, while she seems destined to never marry. Ayesha is lonely, but doesn’t want an arranged marriage. And then she meets Khalid Mirza, who is smart and handsome, and, also very conservative and judgmental.
I had great fun identifying Elizabeth, Darcy, Lydia, Wickham and Mr Collins in this modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice, featuring a Muslim couple in Toronto, Canada. Their missteps, misunderstandings, wrong conclusions, and ultimate relationship flow seamlessly from who they are and how they perceive the world. Both Ayesha and Khalid must make an effort to meet in the middle and communicate openly with one another.
I also enjoyed learning a bit more about Muslim culture and traditions. Jalaluddin shows us characters who are faithful and yet living in the modern world, and she doesn’t shy away from exploring work-place (and societal) bias.
Rosni Shukla does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has the skill as a voice artist to sufficiently differentiate the many characters.
3.5***
Ayesha Shamsi dreams of being a poet but works as a teacher to pay her debts to her uncle. Her family is loud and boisterous, and Ayehsa is constantly being reminded that her younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to collecting her target hundredth marriage proposal, while she seems destined to never marry. Ayesha is lonely, but doesn’t want an arranged marriage. And then she meets Khalid Mirza, who is smart and handsome, and, also very conservative and judgmental.
I had great fun identifying Elizabeth, Darcy, Lydia, Wickham and Mr Collins in this modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice, featuring a Muslim couple in Toronto, Canada. Their missteps, misunderstandings, wrong conclusions, and ultimate relationship flow seamlessly from who they are and how they perceive the world. Both Ayesha and Khalid must make an effort to meet in the middle and communicate openly with one another.
I also enjoyed learning a bit more about Muslim culture and traditions. Jalaluddin shows us characters who are faithful and yet living in the modern world, and she doesn’t shy away from exploring work-place (and societal) bias.
Rosni Shukla does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has the skill as a voice artist to sufficiently differentiate the many characters.
saycheeze37's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
emiliaphrodite's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
it was kinda cringe with the dialogue. it was so overdramatic and offered only caricatures of archetypes, and nothing deep or 3D about any of the characters. I didn’t care much about any of them. I wasn’t invested. I just feel like going through what they went through warranted more emotional territory, but then it was never dived into. It was very slice of life, which for me made me care less because there wasn’t much at stake in terms of the world.
gcgreene11's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is super cute! I love reading adaptations. I’d love to teach a unit where we read Pride and Prejudice, and this, and then watch the Lizzie Bennet diaries :)
nafisahajjateeumar's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, this book was enjoyable read and I probably would have rated this higher if it wasn't marketed as a "modern day Pride and Prejudice". It didn't give me enough Jane Austen. And being let into the love interests' POV so early on sort of ruins the mystery Mr Darcy came with.
More than anything, I hated Khaled's makeover. Why was it necessary for him to wear a suit, trim his beard, and agree to compromise his principles by shaking hands with a woman in some stupid revenge plot? And work for a lingerie firm? I saw no improvement in Amir in terms of growing any principle and why was the fact that he literally bugged Clara's office with pervy intentions glossed over? Why was Khaled the one who needed to "edit" himself?
Also, Ayesha's poetry sucks
More than anything, I hated Khaled's makeover. Why was it necessary for him to wear a suit, trim his beard, and agree to compromise his principles by shaking hands with a woman in some stupid revenge plot? And work for a lingerie firm? I saw no improvement in Amir in terms of growing any principle and why was the fact that he literally bugged Clara's office with pervy intentions glossed over? Why was Khaled the one who needed to "edit" himself?
Also, Ayesha's poetry sucks
ihasan0's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
A modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a dash of Poet X. I enjoyed reading this one up until Khalid's transformation. I find it hard to believe that he would let go of his conservatives values so quickly. I just don't buy that understanding how manipulative his mom was would allow him to embrace the ideas he'd shunned for so long.
rydhood's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
the pacing was a bit off, but the way this intertwined their faith and Pride & Prejudice was really great.
nabihahg's review
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5